Repairs and roof components
Roof decking and rot repair in Dallas
The roof feels spongy underfoot, the ridge has a dip, or the last roofer said the deck would not hold nails. That is decking, and it gets fixed before anything goes on top.
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Quick answer
Rotted roof decking in Dallas is replaced sheet by sheet, not patched: we open the soft section, cut back to sound wood on the rafters, install new OSB or plywood, and re-roof over it. A sag usually means a rafter has gone too, so we sister a new one alongside it. Structural work needs a Dallas building permit, which we pull.
Warning signs
Signs the wood under your shingles has gone
A dip in the ridge
The ridge sags between two points.
Spongy footing
The roof gives under a step.
Nails backing out
The wood no longer grips them.
Attic staining
Dark rings under the deck.
Daylight through the deck
Light showing from the attic.
A musty attic
Rot smells before it stains.
Shingles that will not lie flat
The deck below has warped.
The job
Why the deck fails before the shingles do
Decking rots from the underside first. A slow leak at a pipe boot or valley wets the sheathing for years without showing on a ceiling, and by the time a shingle lifts the plywood under it is dark and soft. On older Dallas homes the deck is often 1x6 plank with gaps that give nails nothing to hold.
We find it two ways: walking every slope for give, and from the attic with a flashlight, where staining and daylight tell the story. Every re-roof estimate carries a per-sheet decking price, so a bad section found at tear-off is priced before it is fixed.
Updated September 2026
Budget
What moves the price on a decking repair
No reliable published Dallas range exists for decking alone, because it is nearly always priced inside a re-roof. These factors set the number.
- Sheet count
Counted from the attic first.
- Plank versus panel deck
Old plank decks sometimes need a full overlay of new sheathing to hold nails.
- Rafter work
Sistering adds framing lumber, fasteners and a permit inspection.
- Access
Steep or two-story roofs are slower.
- What is on top
Tile or metal comes off and goes back.
- Insulation and interior
Wet insulation comes out; ceiling drywall only if it has stained.
- Timing
Cheaper inside a planned re-roof.
Rotted decking replacement
Soft plywood or OSB is cut out to the nearest rafters so the new sheet has full bearing on both edges. We match the existing thickness, block any open seams, and fasten with ring-shank nails on the code pattern so the new sheet cannot drum or squeak. Underlayment and ice and water shield go back over the new section before the shingles. Most repairs run two to six sheets, priced per sheet so you know the number before the saw comes out.
Sagging roof lines
A dip between two points on the ridge or a wave down a slope is rarely the shingles. Either the rafters were undersized when the house was built, a rafter has split or rotted at the eave, or the deck has delaminated and let the rafters spread. From the attic we string a line along the ridge, find the low rafters and check their bearing at the plate. The fix ranges from sistering to a purlin and struts under a long span.
Rafter sistering
Sistering means bolting or screwing a new rafter of the same depth alongside the damaged one, bearing from the plate to the ridge, so the load has a sound path again. We cut the rot out of the old member where it is at the eave, treat the end, and run the sister full length rather than a short scab. On the 2x4 rafters common in mid-century homes we often sister with 2x6 to stiffen the span. Dallas classes this as structural work, so a building permit and inspection are part of it.
Soft spots found during tear-off
Every replacement estimate we write assumes a few sheets. Once the shingles are off, the foreman walks the bare deck, marks every soft or delaminated area with paint, and photographs it for you before it is cut out. You approve the count by phone, the sheets go in, and the underlayment follows the same day so the house is never left open overnight. If the count runs far above the estimate we stop, call you, and talk it through before continuing.
Roofing in Dallas
What we see on Dallas roofs
The century-old homes in Munger Place and Old East Dallas were framed with plank decking and full-dimension rafters that are sound when dry, but a hundred years of rain at a chimney or valley usually leaves a bay or two of rot under the old sheathing. Because Dallas treats rafter and joist replacement as structural work that needs a building permit, we pull that permit up front rather than discovering it mid-job.
Found soft decking at tear-off?
Call us. We price it per sheet and fix it before any shingle goes on.
(214) 429-4542What happens after you call
How a decking repair runs from the first walk
Attic and roof walk
Staining and daylight from below, then every slope walked for give.
Marked and priced
Soft areas painted and photographed; the estimate carries a per-sheet price.
Permit if structural
Rafter or joist work gets a Dallas building permit first.
Open the section
Shingles and underlayment come off that area, or the whole slope on a re-roof.
Cut back to sound wood
Sheathing removed to the nearest rafters; rotted framing cut out and sistered.
New deck, dried in
New panels on the code nail pattern, underlayment the same day.
Roof back on and inspected
Shingles, flashing and ridge restored; the permit inspection closed.
Questions we get
Decking questions Dallas homeowners ask
Soft spots underfoot, a dip in the ridge, attic stains or daylight, and nails backing out of the shingles.
No. Shingles need solid wood to hold the nails, and no warranty covers a roof installed over soft deck.
Most re-roofs need two to six. We count from the attic first and price per sheet.
Sheathing is covered by the re-roof permit; rafters need a building permit.
If it is wet, yes; wet batts hold moisture against new wood.
Often. Sistering the low rafters and adding a purlin can straighten a sag, with the roof covering repaired only where we opened it.
We match the existing deck, usually 7/16 OSB or 1/2 inch plywood, blocked at unsupported seams.
No; opened sections are dried in the same day.
Think the deck is soft? Let a roofer check the attic
One visit tells you whether it is a few sheets or a framing job.